"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

.Why On Earth Did You Bring Back Rob and Russell? by jeff.probst on February 10, 2011 ·

Well, the short answer is because you love them. Whether you love to “love” them or love to “hate” them, history has shown us that you love them either way. Rob and Russell are two of our brightest stars and they are both equally polarizing.

If you are a true Survivor fan then you can’t wait to see Russell play again if for no other reason than you want to see him get his ass kicked. Finally. By somebody. I also know that many of you admire how he plays and want to see him rewarded for his bulldozer approach to the game.

If you are a true Survivor fan then you can’t help but be amazed at the transformation Boston Rob made from absolute villain to one of the show’s most popular heroes. He has grown and matured before our eyes. First, he married Amber, a former Survivor herself, who won the game and is one of the most beautiful women we’ve ever put on the show. Then they had a child and recently a second child. Rob has matured into a very different guy than he was the first time he played way back in Survivor: Marquesas nearly 10 years ago. I defy you to tell me it won’t be fun to see how he does this time around.

Jon Hein who created the website and coined the phrased, “Jump The Shark” has become a friend of mine over the years. He currently works for Howard Stern hosting the wrap-up show and as many of you might know I am a huge Stern fan. We were in Las Vegas together a few weekends ago for CES and we talked about the notion of a show “jumping the shark.”

I said to him that according to his criteria, Survivor has jumped the shark many times throughout our 22 seasons. He agreed, adding “it’s really just another way of charting the evolution of a show.”

That’s another reason why Rob and Russell are back again. They fit perfectly with our newest evolution to the game, Redemption Island.

We’ve been pushing for this twist for a few years. We first pitched it to CBS three years ago but we hadn’t quite worked out all the kinks and they wisely said, “uh… no.” We went back to the drawing board and came up with a version that felt much better to everybody and this time they said “yes”, albeit with some trepidation.

When you have a hit television show, the last thing you want to do is mess it up. Making a fundamental change as big as this one is a huge risk for CBS and for Mark Burnett Productions. For 21 seasons we’ve had one simple rule –when you’re voted out, you’re out of the game. (Okay for you purists, yes we had a poorly conceived twist in the Pearl Islands – “Outcasts” that cost my buddy Andrew Savage at shot at the million dollars.) This year that all changes.

The reason we were so excited about this idea is because season after season we would lose good players early on in the game. It was always so frustrating to me that there was nothing we could do about it other than move forward.

I used to envy Donald Trump. He can kick out whomever he wants on The Apprentice, thus allowing him to keep more interesting characters around longer. We don’t have that luxury on Survivor. Survivor is dictated by the contestants themselves – they decide who stays and who goes.

Redemption Island still gives the contestants total control but what it offers us as producers of the show is the equivilant of a “losers bracket.” Now when a popular hero or villain is voted out early, they aren’t sent home. They are sent to Redemption Island where they get a second chance. Make no mistake, they’ll have to earn it. Big time. Redemption Island is no picnic. You’ll spend a fair amount of time alone. You’ll have to repair your shelter alone. Sleep alone in the pitch black of night. Ration your rice. Keep yourself occupied during the days and then compete in challenges that will test you on various levels. But if you want it badly enough you may just earn yourself another shot at the million dollars.

I’m always candid when discussing Survivor. I wasn’t a big fan of Survivor: Nicaragua. It just didn’t work for me. But I am a HUGE fan of Redemption Island. If I’m wrong, then I’ll eat crow at the live show and admit it to all of you but I’m willing to bet that you’re going to absolutely devour this season. Yep. I think it’s that good.

Rob and Russell are a big part of that excitement. Whether they last one episode or are there at the end, it doesn’t matter. They’re part of the anticipation. What will happen when they have their first show down as members of opposite tribes. What if we switch tribes and they end up together? What if they are both voted out and end up together at Redemption Island? There are lots of possibilities.

Another reason you’re going to rank this as one of our “Top 5” seasons of all time is this season’s cast. Phenomenal. I loved this group. For more on that, check out my blog “Survivor: Redemption Island – Breaking Down The Cast.”

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

....Welcome to the first official episode blog on JeffProbst.com. I know I promised you a video blog, but here’s the truth. I got home from New York at 1:30 am. I sat down in my living room five minutes after getting home and recorded a nine minute video blog. Was it any good? I have no idea. But as I loaded it to YouTube it.. was… too…long. I’m still learning and evidently there is a size limit.

So… you get the written blog once again. I know a lot of you want this to be a written blog anyway. The truth is doing a video blog is a helluva lot easier for me. So maybe I’ll vary it and on days when I have time I’ll write it and other times I’ll videotape it… just shorter.

For the record it is now 3:30 am. That’s 630 am NY time so I’m now at 24 hours without sleeping. Bear that in mind as you read this blog! But I promised you it would be here when you woke up, so here it is.

SURVIVOR REDEMPTION ISLAND EPISODE ONE BLOGFeb. 17th, 2011

Well we are one episode in to our 22nd season and I’d say we’re off to a pretty damn good start.

Those ten words ushered in a new Survivor superstar. Phillip Shepherd.

I can already hear you guys complaining. Probst, you love Phillip. You have a hard-on for Phillip. (that was one of the quotes I read on Twitter.) I know many of you already hate Phillip. You think Phillip is crazy. Phillip is a loser. Those words fall on deaf ears. It’s as if I don’t have ears. They just bounce off and fall to the ground. I absolutely love Phillip and I’m pretty sure Jimmy Fallon does too!

But more on him later…

THE HELICOPTER OPENFirst off – flying out the back of a helicopter is a rush no matter how many times I get to do it. Here’s how we did it: I was attached by one safety strap that is hidden under my shirt and the strap is attached to one clip which is attached to the floor of the helicopter. That’s it. That’s all that stops me from falling out of the sky and to what I’m pretty certain would be instant death. But our safety guys told me that it was “almost completely safe…” so I said “Okay, strap me in!”

To get that awesome shot just after I say: “Thirty nine days, 18 people.. One Survivor” — two things have to happen at the exact same moment. The helicopter I was on has to bank to the right and the helicopter that is filming us banks to the left. If they both hit it at the right moment you get that epic moment where it looks like the chopper that I’m on is falling off the side of the earth. If the earth were indeed flat. Our chopper crew of Mark Hryma (photographer) and Ken Gray (pilot) are really, really, really good and their communication with my chopper was the reason that shot looked so freakin epic.

It’s an incredibly fun experience that I wish all of you could try just once. It’s a total rush. I wish we could use choppers or planes every time. Adds a lot of drama.

OUR NEWEST TWISTWe had pitched Redemption Island to CBS for a few years but we could never get it past them because the creative wasn’t quite right. Last year we hit upon the magic formula and CBS said yes. They took a HUGE chance letting us change the format of our show. Survivor is a format that has worked all over the world and has allowed us to garner big ratings for over a decade here in the U.S.

Networks don’t mess with things that work. But Leslie Moonves and the guys at CBS take risks. I think this one is going to pay off nicely.

I will go on the record that I think we’ll be doing it again next year. We haven’t even officially been picked up for next year nor talked about creative for next year but I just can’t see going back to the old format. Afer the first tribal council I thought, “I can’t imagine voting someone out and then having them be “gone” from the show. We’d miss out on so much. The “losers bracket” which is what RI is, just opens up so many options.

I realize it’s too early to decide if you like it but I’ll ask you again in episode 5 after you’ve had a bit of time to try it on for size.

HOURS BEFORE THE STARTI woke up on day one with a really powerful and positive feeling about the season. No idea where it came from, but I knew it was real. It was still hours before we were going to put them on the chopper and I had an idea.

I took my boombox, yes I still have a boombox, and I gathered the Survivors around me in a circle. They still couldn’t talk because the game hadn’t yet started. I then put on LOSE YOURSELF by Eminem. I blasted it from the speakers. I had the words printed on a sheet of paper. I went from one person to another singing the song.. well talking the song… well actually just basically screaming the song. I wanted them to feel the energy I felt – that we were sitting on the edge of something really special.

LOSE YOURSELF LYRICSIf you had one shot, or one opportunityTo seize everything you ever wanted in one momentWould you capture it? Or just let it slip?

You better lose yourself in the music, the momentYou own it, you better never let it go goYou only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blowThis opportunity comes once in a lifetime.

Not sure what they thought about my performance – if they thought I had lost my mind, (which was kinda true) was a lousy singer, (very true) or maybe they just didn’t care one way or the other (quite possible.) But it didn’t matter, I really thought we were onto something and I wanted to share it. In fact, the lyrics of LOSE YOURSELF influenced some of the language I ended up using at Redemption Island duels. See if you pick up on it as the season unfolds.

BOSTON ROB AND RUSSELLFrom the moment R and R exited the chopper the energy changed and it stayed that way for the entire 39 days. Having Rob and Russell ignited something in every other contestant. Like them or not, they are stars of Survivor and they bring something special to the season.

Their journey won’t be easy.

Both have huge targets. Huge. For obvious reasons. No need to waste the space we know the drill. We know their backs are up against the wall. So do they.

But give Russell 3 more days on that island and that one girl alliance could become the two girl alliance that he has used so successfully in the past and he’s off and running. Is it even plausible that he could do it a third time?

Give Boston Rob a few days to solidify an alliance and a few more challenges to prove his worth and he too could become unstoppable.

But if either of them lose many challenges in a row they are probably in trouble. Kristina is already onto Rob and the entire Zapatera tribe, save Stephanie, seems to be onto Russell.

Ah but Survivor is an ever changing game.

And even if they are voted out early… they have Redemption Island. They are guaranteed a second chance. Good luck beating Boston Rob at a duel, Francesca.

A FEW OF THE OTHERSNatalie – our youngest competitor ever at 18. Huge adventure for a girl just out of high school. Think about it. Takes nerve just to show up. I root for Natalie.

Matthew, whose religious faith is going to be severely tested if he lasts very long at all. Survivor is a game where “turn the other cheek” typically doesn’t work very well.

Kristina showed herself to be a very strong contender by finding the idol in first few hours.

Ralph, as Mike said has the best man sweater in Survivor history and will need a full-time interpreter if we are to understand him. Or subtitles. Maybe both.

In addition, we have MANY other great characters that you will come to know. Have no fear if I didn’t mention your favorite or the person from your hometown. They’ll all get their chance to shine. This really is a great season. Great.

CHALLENGESOur opening challenge is indicative of what to expect this season. Big challenges. Our challenge department had a lot of pent up energy left over from having to do smaller challenges during Survivor: Nicaragua (aka Old vs Young.) This one set the tone that you’ll be earning everything this year.

TRIBAL COUNCILThat was hands down the best first tribal council ever. It was yet another sign to me that whatever that feeling I had the morning of Day One was legit.

Poor Phillip, he really had trouble with Francesca’s name. I think he mispronounced it a few more times but we just couldn’t include them all because sooner or later we had to get to the vote.

It was funny the first three times. Really funny the next three and I nearly fell off my stump the last three. But as he mentioned, he did have dry mouth for which he was getting treatment, so we have to account for that. What wasn’t included was Phillip telling me at tribal council that he had dyslexia. I don’t think anybody believed him but honestly who knows who is telling the truth in this game. Certainly not me. I never know when someone is bullshitting or being straight up, but after he told me he had dyslexia I couldn’t laugh at the mispronunciation any more. He found my soft spot. If he was lying, it worked on me.

Have I told you how much I love Phillip. It’s his earnest nature. That’s what I responded to from the day I met him in casting. He lives this stuff. He believes it. For real. Just like another great Survivor character… Coach!

THE BEST MOMENT OF THE EPISODEThe moment of the episode had to be Rob demanding that Kristina show him the idol. HUGE MOVE. And it worked. She not only showed it to him she handed it to him. Damn, that is how you do it.

I say it all the time. To get to the end of this game – sooner or later you will have to make a big move. Rob isn’t waiting or wasting any time to make big moves. First tribal, first gigantic, intimidating move. I think Kristina was even considering giving it to him a sign of solidarity. It’s amazing what Rob can pull off. Boston charm.

Downside for Rob.. the target on his back just got a lot larger. Remember that huge red Target store logo from season one? Yes I know some of you were only three when we started… well the target on Rob’s back is that big.

NEXT WEEK TEASE – It’s a great episode. The tease: Phillip goes hunting for crab. You will laugh for sure and you may even shed a patriotic tear. It’s one of the best scenes of the season. Yes, he’s wearing his peach underwear.

OUR LIVE TWITTER EXCHANGE: For those of you who missed it. I was flying home from New York and while on the flight I tweeted live with fans who were watching the show at the same time. It was really kind of amazing. I was watching the show on the airplane at 30,000 feet and tweeting back and forth. It was quite the fun experience. I’ll see what the feedback is over the week and maybe we’ll try to do it again. I stole the idea from Howard Stern who did it recently while watching his movie Private Parts on television.

FRANCESCA ARRIVES AT REDEMPTION ISLANDHere’s the truth about Redemption Island. It’s hard. You are alone. You have flint. You have a bit of a shelter that is full of leaks. You have a handful of rice. Let that sink in. It’s not much. Never forget that in a world of “loosely scripted” reality shows, Survivor is still the real deal. Survivor will kick your ass. Redemption Island could bury you.

I do believe that for the moment Francesca really does prefer Redemption Island, but if she lasts long that will change. She will get lonely and exhausted.

BACK AT THE OMETEPE CAMPI love how confident Rob is at this point in the game. Rob only knows one way to play and that is full out, aka “all in.”

Remember, back in Heroes v Villains, Rob had a great plan at Tribal Council and it would have given him control of the game. But Tyson momentarily lost his mind and blew it by voting the wrong way and Rob went home. Rob is determined to not make that mistake again. He keeps reminding everybody in his alliance – if we stick together, we’ll be okay… but tonight showed once again how difficult it is to keep your alliance together.

How hard can it be to keep your alliance together? It sounds so simple until you factor in that there is only ONE winner. That means everybody in your alliance has their own motive and their own plan for getting to the end. It’s incredibly complicated and that’s why alliance almost always break down. It’s part of the design of the game. The question is when to leave your alliance. You want to leave it before it leaves you.

As you saw from last night’s episode even with an experienced player like Rob – what was true at sunrise is not always true at sunset. You have to adapt. Rob adapted and now Matt, one of his original six, is gone.

PHILIP GOES PRIMALThis is why I love this guy. He is everything and I mean everything you could ever ask for from a Survivor contestant. He is so damn sincere, so earnest. I truly can’t get enough. I know a lot of you already hate him, save it for the comment section. I’m in Camp Phillip.

Philip is a real life version of “Del, the shower curtain ring guy” that John Candy played in Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

If you’ve seen the movie you know what I’m talking about. Del is an overweight, loud mouthed, slightly inappropriate salesman that Steve Martin meets while both are stuck trying to get home during a snow storm. The entire time you’re watching the movie, you can see why Del drives Steve Martin nuts. He’s friggin annoying as hell! Del even says at one point, “I know I’m a easy target… but you know what? I like me… and my friends like me.”

By the end of the movie, you not only like Del, you are rooting for Steve Martin to see what you see – that Del is a really good person. He’s just different, that’s all.

That’s how I feel about Philip. Well at least the easy target part! And yes the comparison is already being made. Philip and Coach are clearly brothers from another… …they’re equally awesome.

When Philip was using his homemade spear to hunt for crab, his tribe was making fun of him. I get it. It was a funny moment, especially Matt impersonating the late, great Steve Irwin. (The scene went on much longer but had to be cut for time.) I laughed hard when I saw it the first time. But when I listened to Philips interview I found myself truly moved. I’m not kidding. I listened to the sincerity with which he talked about his patriotism and I was touched.

In Philips world, the hunting for crab was all about trying to provide for his tribe by channeling his inner primal self. His celebration when he finally snagged a crab by throwing a rock, was priceless. “Killed with a stone, baby!”

OVER AT ZAPATERARalph is another one-of-a-kind. It’s not just the man sweater, it’s his whole personae. Ralph and Philip and Rob and Russell – it’s guys like this that have kept Survivor on the air for so long. You may love to hate them but without them Survivor would be boring.

THE OTHERSI think I said it last week, but the reason this season is going to be so stellar is that the rest of the contestants are equally great. I’m focusing a lot on Rob and Ralph and Philip right now but it’s only week two! You will see as the weeks unfold, we have some great people with big opinions who all want to win this game. I am so jazzed that we are only in week two!

RALPH FINDS THE IDOLWas there a more unlikely guy in the world? He wasn’t even looking for it!

Ralph: “That was as easy as wiping your hiney with toilet paper!”

It’s not half as funny when I write it as it is when Ralph says it.

Ralph does bring up a good question re the idols. If the idols are so easy to find that even a self-proclaimed dumb ass (Ralphs words, not mine) can find it, can it really be that difficult? Maybe Russell isn’t such an idol finding genius. Maybe we just needed a dumbass to show prove it.

Either way – Ralph has some major power. The big question is does he realize it? It’s not yet clear if Ralph knows exactly how best to use the idol It could be a bit of a waste – kinda like giving a Ferrari to someone who doesn’t like to drive fast. Time will tell if Ralph can handle the power of the idol or not.

IDOL PLAY IN GENERALIt’s probably time for us to really switch up how we deal with idols and where we hide them. If you have an idea, please send it to me at www.jeffprobst.com under the “Ask Jeff A Question” category. Who knows you may end up having some influence on our game! No, I’m not paying for your idea. But if it’s good, I’ll certainly take credit for it and we might just take it and use it on the show! Welcome to Hollywood, baby!

MATT & ANDREAMatt never saw it coming. How could he? He was smitten. He was thinking about a first kiss and Rob was thinking about another blindside. Think of Rob as the Godfather. The moment he saw that relationship forming he knew it was a problem.

As he referenced during the show, Rob made an alliance in Survivor: All-Stars with Amber and they rode it to the end. He then married her. They had a baby. And then another. So Rob knows that you can fall into an alliance that will extend beyond the game and that could spell disaster for Rob.

Side bar – Natalie is a very interesting contestant to watch this season. She is so young at only 18 years old (which means she was seven years old when we started! Seven!) but she seems to have a really great head on her shoulders. That’s the reason we put her on the show. She really impressed us during the casting process.

THE CHALLENGEWhen I took the immunity idol from Ralph, he said, “I’ll get it back.” This kind of trash talking goes on a lot at challenges, but we only include it when there is a good story that comes as a result. Once again Philip provides the story:

Philip: I will outlast ANY man over there.Jeff: What about the women?Philip: That’s another day. We’ll see.

I am once again reminded of what I used to say about Coach – Who writes this stuff?!

THE POOLNicaragua didn’t provide a lot of water options for challenges because of the dangerous tides, so we built our own “swimming pool” which we have used for a few different challenges. The immunity challenge was a modified version of a challenge we have done a few times over the years and it works every time. It’s so much fun to do this challenge as a contestant and so much fun to watch.

One thing that emerged from the challenge – Grant is one helluva athlete. Ashlee is another one. I love contestants that go all out or as I mentioned earlier “all in.” I have a buddy whose nickname is “All In Jim” because he only knows one speed – all in. Contestants that go “all in” on Survivor are almost always memorable.

I’m a bit surprised that Ometepe is not doing better in challenges. They have a good group of people, but Zapatera really works well together. Very calm.

AFTER THE CHALLENGEImmediately after the challenge ended, Matt walked over and shook hands with some of the Zapatera tribes. As much as I try to prevent this – typically by yelling something very witty such as: “Hey get outta there!” – it still happens. We don’t usually show it, unless… there is a story attached. This time there was… a big story.

That attempt at good sportsmanship really got to Rob. He’s no dummy. Those little “friendly” moments can often be the difference when it comes to a merge or even the final tribal council. Acts of kindness are so rare that when you do one it can have a real impact. Rob knows that Matt is a good kid and seeing him playing up the other tribe – worried him. When the Godfather gets worried, somebody is gonna end up with a horse head in their bed. Russell is much the same way. They both make BIG moves with one goal – get to the end.

AFTER THE CHALLENGEYou could really feel the air begin to let out of the Ometepe tribe. Back to back losses. Not a great way to start. Rob knows his tribe is in trouble. It’s one thing to be in a tight alliance and feel safe, but if you’re losing immunity challenges, that safety is only temporary as you will soon run out of numbers and it will be you who is going home.It’s why it’s so important to win challenges. If you avoid tribal council you keep your tribe strong. When you go to tribal council, you rarely come out betber as a result. Ometepe has got to start winning or the morale will continue to drop.

THE HIDDEN IMMUNITY IDOL CLUEThis is a first. Russell is not in control. In fact, the joke is on Russell. I’m guessing that most of you love seeing Russell not in control. He has a clue to the idol but doesn’t yet know that Ralph already has the idol. He’s wasting his time.

For me though, the most interesting aspect of this moment was Mike’s comment about Russell:Mike: “He’s the most untrustworthy person in this game.”

This comment came as Russell was sharing the clue with the two girls in his alliance, Stephenie and Krista. If you think about it, Russell is no less trustworthy than anyone else. He’s playing Survivor. He has an alliance and he immediately shared the clue with them. From their point of view, Russell is completely trustworthy.

Mike: If we’re in this together, then show me the clue.”

You’re not in this together Mike. You’re in a different alliance. Would you show Russell the clue?

It’s an interesting thing that often happens on Survivor. You justify your ethics. It’s okay when YOU lie because you’re playing the game. When someone ELSE lies, they’re a scumbag.

If Mike thinks he can survive this game without lying to someone… he is in for a shock. Lying is okay on Survivor. It’s called “outwit” and it’s a huge part of the game.

I’m not saying this because I love Russell, or don’t like Mike. I happen to think Mike is a great addition to this season. I’m saying it because it’s fascinating what is happening on Zapatera. So much energy is focused on Russell that there is a huge blind spot on their tribe and somebody is going to notice and take advantage of it. Zapatera is winning… but they are at risk at putting the cart ahead of the horse.

THE SHOWDOWNI have been waiting for this moment. Ralph v Russell. They met in the forest. The human sweater and the angry gnome.

Ralph: Russell there wasn’t no hidden clue in there was there? You didn’t win it. We all won it.Russell: Calm down guys. This is how the game is played. You’re either with me or against me.

Ah Russell, he hasn’t changed a bit.

Russell: (to Ralph) I don’t like how you’re coming at me.

Ralph is really growing on me. He’s not quite comfortable talking to the camera yet. You can seem him a bit uncertain whether to walk away or keep talking but I like him. He’s certainly entertaining.

LUXURY ITEMS ON REDEMPTION ISLANDWe decided to give them their luxury items because quite honestly we were afraid they might lose their minds without something to help pass the time or remind them of home. Luxury items don’t really make their stay any easier but emotionally I think it brings some sense of peace.

HEADING TO TRIBALI’m not going to say anything about Philip saying “gallantry.”

But once again the gold star of the episode does go to… Philip. He is two for two. The explanation of his two tattoos was so good I had to watch it three times. Philip does not mess around. You can question a lot of things about Philip, but the man commits. Ink is forever. And not just one, but two tattoos. A gorilla and a lion. His explanation of their respective power and possible showdown left me a bit confused but damn I loved it. I want to put it on a t-shirt and sell it.

TRIBAL COUNCILRob played tribal about as well as it can be played. A work of art. Rob’s experience is really paying off right now. He lied to Matt and Andrea, got Kristina to play the idol, kept Philip in check, dictated how Phillip should vote and got rid of Matt. Wow. That was pretty amazing.

At this point, Rob is in control of his tribe. His problem is going to be staying in control of the tribe. At some point somebody on his tribe is going to say “enough already.” Andrea could be his biggest threat if she decides to go for revenge.

The rain at tribal came out of nowhere. It’s going to happen a lot this season. Thankfully tribal is covered otherwise they would have been drenched. The rain was, as Matt said, literally blowing sideways. If you know me at all, you know I LOVE it when it rains. The harder the better.

MATT IS SHOCKEDYes those reactions were real. Yes, Andrea was ready to cry. Yes, Matt was completely shocked. Stunned. Think about it, you are a big competitor like Matt and you have just started the game. You’re only a couple of weeks into the experience. You idolize and trust Rob, you think you’re safe and wham… before you know it you’re on a boat heading to Redemption Island. It was a shocking vote. Only time will tell if it was the right move. Rob either cemented himself firmly in control or just hung his own noose.

Survivor fans all over the world will no doubt remember this day for decades, and if science hurries up, perhaps centuries to come. Those that missed the episode will no doubt tell their kids years from now, “I was there. I remember it like it was yesterday. Sitting on the couch and yelling at the TV.” And Russell Hanz will no doubt be telling this story to his grand kids, “I was so good they had to purposefully lose a challenge to get rid of me!”

It happened.

After back to back seasons during which he was never voted out, lasting the entire 78 days, Russell Hanz finally met a tribe he couldn’t control.

Russell Hanz is gone.

More on that later…

THE FIRST EVER REDEMPTION ISLAND DUEL

More history was made as Matt and Francesca squared off in the first ever Redemption Island duel.

Some background:

DUELSWe decided to use smaller versions of previous challenges as the duels because we knew they worked and we didn’t want any risks when it came down to a one-on-one duel.

LETTING THE TRIBE WATCHThe decision to let two members of each tribe watch was made just a few days before we began. That was Mark Burnett’s call. He was right. It created yet another layer by separating the tribe. The two people at the duel have valuable information but in exchange for it, they’re away from camp where alliances can shift quickly. The opposite is true for those left at camp. Information is king in this game so anytime you can create a situation in which some people have the info and others don’t, you increase your chances for great reality.

THE ARENAThe idea for the Redemption Island Arena came early in the process but the design and execution of the Arena was still mind blowing. The first time I walked into the half finished Arena I knew it was going to be a good season. The creative team that is our Survivor Art Department really hit it out of the park with this one. They created a ruin that looks as though it has been there for hundreds of years. It was built small enough to remain intimate but large enough to accommodate our cameras. It is one of my favorite builds of all time. What will they do next year?!

PRIOR TO THE DUELFrom a producing point of view we were certainly nervous before the first duel. Remember, this is a massive format change. Survivor had worked just fine for 21 seasons and now we are changing everything. This was our first test of the twist that we had pinned the entire season around – would the duel work?

From a drama point of view we couldn’t ask for me. I really thought Francesca was going to win. She was ahead so quickly that it appeared over. But Matt never panicked. Not for a moment. He continued to take his time and re-work his stick until he had it just right and then he went on a tear and made history, winning the first ever Redemption Island duel.

Matt is now the guy to beat on RI and if he can continue to win, Matt will get a chance to come back into this game..

The possible threat of Matt returning is already causing Rob major stress. You saw him trying to soothe Andrea, but I don’t think she was buying it. If Matt gets back in the game and Andrea is still around, there will be trouble.

LYING TO RUSSELLI’m guessing so many of you were finding a lot of joy when Zapatera lied to Russell about who lost at the first duel. It does seem fitting that everything Russell had done to others for two seasons is now being done to him.

What is most fascinating to me is the justification of ethics. My most favorite topic. When someone is taking an action that “we” support then it’s awesome, it’s fantastic, it’s brilliant. But when it’s someone that “we” don’t like taking the same action, they’re a villain, a loser, untrustworthy. I’m just sayin… the Zapatera tribe is acting as dickish to Russell as Russell has acted to his tribemates in the past. Is one action more acceptable than another?

STEPHANIE & RUSSELLStephanie is no joke. She is a player. She’s smart and she’s feisty. Her idea for a fake idol, while not a new idea, was still a good one. It was a worthy performance as she pretended to protect her bag. The double team effort to get Julie to flip and join their alliance was a valiant effort. I give Russell credit, he chose the right person for his alliance as Stephanie is a barracuda. Stephanie’s problem now is quite obvious. She and Krista have nobody left. They must make a move or they’ll be gone soon.

RUSSELL’S ARM PITDamn that was nasty. Note to future Survivors, if you’re gonna shave body parts that previously have not been shaved, please do it a few times before you leave for location. Let your body get used to the sweating and the clothing rubbing against the skin because nobody should have to endure that visually disturbing sight.

THE CHALLENGEAs for the challenge itself, you might remember this from last season. It was a huge construction build and so unique that we decided to use it again. If you are one of the people strapped to the wheel it’s a bit unnerving to be spun round and round while going under water, having to take a gulp of water and then spit it into a tiny trough. You wanted to play Survivor, you got it.

Now to the more interesting aspect of the challenge.

THE THROWIt’s very easy to back seat drive in this game but if you examine Survivor history, throwing a challenge rarely works out well.

When you let the other tribe win a challenge you give them confidence. You give them what they need to begin to believe in themselves. You risk the momentum shifting to them.. Often, you are also giving up a valuable reward. All so you can get rid of one tribemember, which also reduces your numbers, potentially making you weaker when you go to the merge.

Zapatera was so focused on getting rid of Russell that they could see nothing else. From day one, their focus has been “get rid of the cancer.” They wanted him out so badly, they not only threw a challenge, but they gave up a TARP! Next to flint, a tarp is the most sought after item on Survivor.

The other big risk is that anytime you go to Tribal Council, regardless the plan, you risk being voted out.yourself. Blindsides are very common in this game.

That’s how badly Zapatera wanted Russell gone!

THE OTHER SIDEHaving said all of this, I’m sure there are times when the risk feels worth the reward. Leaving Russell on your tribe is risky. He’s a proven player who can manipulate and if you go to a merge, and he’s on the bottom, it’s a given that he’ll flip.

I’m not second guessing Zapatera’s move, but it will be interesting to see if history repeats and Zapatera lives to regret their decision.

TRANSLATING RALPHSPEAKI don’t know if it’s my Midwest roots but I understood Ralphspeak almost immediately. Sure, it takes a moment, you have to let it roll through your brain, but as it makes it’s way across your neural pathways, it slows enough that you can pick up enough words to make sense. Ralph is a sharp dude, don’t underestimate him just because of the unique way in which he speaks.

RALPH’S SLIPPERY SLOPERalph’s biggest issue is not his manner of speaking, it’s his ego. Ralph is heading down the same slippery slope of ego that has consumed Russell. Ralph is not quite as smart a Survivor player as he thinks and his biggest liability is his mouth. He doesn’t think before he speaks. Ralph has the idol and he’s been strong in challenges. He has so much going for him but if someone doesn’t get his ego in check he’ll do himself in.

WHAT I DON’T UNDERSTANDWhen the entire tribe knows they threw a challenge and they’re about to vote out the person that they threw the challenge to vote out… and that person knows they threw the challenge too… why do they still lie to me when asked, “Did you throw the challenge?” I never get this. Maybe it’s just a basic premise surrounding the idea that “saying less is more” at tribal council. But now that I’ve seen the interviews confirming that they absolutely threw the challenge, I am once again confused as to why they wouldn’t say – “Yes we threw it, so we could vote out Russell. Come on Probst, how hard is this to figure out?”

As I often do I refer back to the idea that maybe this is why I am only a host, not a player.

THE NEAR BLINDSIDEDid you think Russell had Julie convinced? Ah we’ll never know how close she was to flipping sides. A lot? A little? None at all?

THE OUTCOMEAfter all was said and done, Julie stayed true to her alliance and just like that – Russell was voted out.

Were you happy? Sad? Are you rooting for him at Redemption Island or do you want to see Matt destroy him?

This is brand new territory for Russell but we all know that Russell can never be counted out. He is always playing. But he will have his work cut out for him with Matt. Matt has had a few days to adjust, Matt has been to the Arena before, Matt has already competed and won a duel. On top of it all, Russell thinks he is going to battle against Francesca, a far cry from the athletic abilities of Matt.

Will Russell try to intimidate Matt? Will he try to befriend him? Will Matt ask Russell to pray with him? Ah so many good questions.

You don’t want to miss next week – it is do or die time for Russell Hanz. You can’t get a better tease than that.

For any of you who are already frustrated that Im going to dedicate most of this blog to Russell, you might as well stop reading.

This time, lets skip the beginning and save that for the end

PHLLIPAm I still the only one who enjoys Phillip? I read your tweets and your comments on the site and I am surprised that Phillip annoys so many of you. Dont you see any fun in watching him? Its not like youre stuck on an island with him. Hes on your tv. For my money he is gold every time he opens his mouth.

Even something as simple as grabbing the tree mail becomes an adventure as he peers through the rolled up scroll like a telescope.

My favorite Phillip moment of this episode was after the Duel when Phillip was walking with Rob and Grant  holding court, stretching out the story of what he learned at Redemption Island, much to the frustration of Rob.Rob: Hey dumbass, arent you in MY alliance? Dont you work for me?

Even simply writing that sentence makes me laugh.

THE GAME CONTINUESDespite losing one of the biggest players of the season, the game continues and Boston Rob is on fire. On fire. This is why Rob gets invited back so often. Hes really good and hes really fun to watch. After four times playing, Rob has his PhD in Survivor.

For those of you who complain about it being unfair because Rob has played before  let me remind you of the basic rule of Survivor  the tribe votes out whoever they want. Just like Zapatera did with Russell, Ometepe could have chosen to get rid of Rob early on, but they didnt. They gave Rob a chance and now Rob is starting to prove his worth as a leader, while simultaneously playing a very good game and positioning himself as a threat to go deep. As many days as he lasts in this game, he earns them all. I feel that way about every contestant. Whether they sand bag it like Sandra or come out swinging like Russell. You earn it.

THE RACE FOR THE IDOLRob searching for the idol while the rest of the tribe was playing Sunday at the beach was one of the most riveting scenes weve ever had. We had to cut it significantly for time. He was really hustling to make sure he got back before Grant and the girls realized he had been gone.

As I watched the first cut of this at home on my MacBook Pro, I was literally squirming in my seat. Remember, Ive never seen this footage. I was screaming Hurry up! Find it! Theyre gonna be out of the water soon and wonder where you are!

Im really not as biased as I sound, its just that I love good drama. If it had been Ralph or Natalie or Russell or even Sarita I would have felt the same way  Hurry! Hurry!

THE REWARD/IMMUNITY CHALLENGELet me educate you about the future of television. Product integration. Its a phrase you hear in every conference room of every advertising agency in New York and every television network in Hollywood.

On Survivor, product integration is when you take something like the Sears Craftsman tool kit or the Sprint Evo phone and you build it into a challenge or a reward. Lots of you guys complain about these product integrations. But heres the thing  you are the same people who are DVRing your show to watch it later at a more convenient time. The problem is when you watch it later, you skip through the commercials. The advertisers know this, so their only option is to get their products inside the show so you cant avoid them.

This is not going away. This is the present and the future of television. Product integration. Dont waste energy fighting it. Embrace it.

While were talking about it, let me brag on Survivor for a moment. Nobody integrates product as well as we do. Last night you watched an incredibly dramatic challenge that was built all around tools from Sears. The tools were used to complete the challenge. The tools were necessary. It worked really well.

Many shows just shove product integration into their show. We work hard to make it work as well as we can even though the products dont always lend themselves to the middle of a jungle.

But the bottom line is this without Sprint, Sears and our other sponsors, we arent on the air. Its that simple.

WHAT IS RALPH CROWING ABOUT?Fortunately, Zapatera won the challenge, because if they hadnt I would have been on their ass for throwing the challenge in the last episode. But I will say this, if I was on the Ometepe tribe I would have a hard time not knocking Ralph right off that perch as he crowed like a Rooster. That is one annoying move.

Ralphs ego is going to be his biggest obstacle. Hes not alone. It happens to a lot of people. They do something amazing, like finding the idol, but then they so badly want to share their brilliance with everybody else that they weaken their position by telling everybody.

I do it in my life all the time. Im constantly giving away information that would be better off kept to myself. Its so hard to just shut up. Ralph  shut up. Youll go further.

On the other hand, the fact that his crowing annoys me, means it probably annoyed Ometepe, which means its working!

THE REWARDI offer proof once again that Survivor is the toughest reality show of all time. Note this conversation from Mike and Ralph regarding the food reward:

MIKE: Ive never been this hungry in my life. I havent thought about sex in two weeks. All Im thinking about is food.

RALPH: It tasted great. I sucked stuff out of my fingernails that havent been cleaned since I got here. And I asked any of the others ones if they wanted their fingers cleaned and licked, Id work on them too.

RALPH: Steve, can I lick that mustard off your nose? Your tongue aint long enough.

TRIBAL COUNCILOnce again Ometepe is back at tribal council and by a 4-3 vote, Kristina is sent to Redemption Island where she will have to face Matt in a duel.

Okay now to the guts of what made this episode historic. The Fall of Russell. It started with a late night arrival at Redemption Island.

REDEMPTION ISLANDRussell was not expecting to find Matt sleeping in the shelter. He was expecting Francesca. I think that tiny little lie that Zapatera told him had a big impact on Russells psyche. I think expecting to find Francesca and instead finding a young, very fit Matt threw him for a loop and began his downfall.

MATT v RUSSELL: GOOD vs EVILThis duel was the closest thing weve ever had to Good v. Evil. Matt, the young man who puts all his faith in God, battling against Russell, the older man who many believe is a force of evil. It was historic before it began.

THE DUEL As many of you already know  challenges and duels are created and built weeks in advance. We had no idea who would be playing this duel but I couldnt have been happier that it involved so many different skills: balance, patience and thinking ahead.

Everybody on the crew was invested in this duel. We all loved Matt, he was a favorite, he had been on Redemption for days and he was very likable. On the other side, you have Russell  a guy that has been such a polarizing force on our show that you couldnt help but want him to win simply because it is such a huge story if he does. Its also a huge story if he loses. So in that sense, it was a win-win.

The drama was fantastic. First Matt thought he had it but he was short. Then Russell thought he had it, but he too was short. I was pacing back and forth, as excited as Ive been at a challenge in a long time. Finally Matt, who never panics, got it together and won the duel. In doing so Matt single-handedly put an end to the Russell era. Its over.

THE TEARS OF A WARRIORThe tears that Russell shed were real. It was a very emotional moment for a guy who has spent most of the last two years of his life playing this silly little adventure game called Survivor.

It was emotional for all of us to watch him break down. It was a gift from Russell to let us see the emotion. We all knew the day would finally come when Russell was finally sent home- and we all wondered how he would respond. I loved that he shared it with us. Thats how Russell did everything  full tilt boogie.

Im guessing that a lot of the Russell haters were moved as well.

Like him, love him, hate him, despise him  there is simply no denying that Russell has given Survivor as much if not more than Survivor has given him.If you are a fan of Survivor, then you too owe Russell a nod of the head. The dude brought it. Every single day he played  he brought it.

In some ways he reignited our franchise as he brought in a new kind of villain. An unscrupulous terror.

To give context Johnny Fairplay is a clown Russell is a villain. Im not sure Russell is a nice person. I wouldnt want Russell to know where I live. There isnt much I would want to do with Russell outside of Survivor.

But within the world of Survivor, Russell is family.

When you make a deal with the devil, you must be prepared to get burnt. So complaining about Russell would be hypocritical. We put him on the show in Samoa, we invited him back in Heroes v Villains and he completed the trifecta with Redemption Island.

Russell will go down in history as one of the most notorious contestants of all time. Maybe THE most notorious.

For all he has given us, I have to take my hat off to him and say thank you.

RUSSELL LIVES ONBefore the tears could even dry, the Russell of old was back, once again stirring up trouble. As with Rob, this is another example of why some players get invited back and most dont. Russell played Ralph like a finely tuned fiddle. He baited the hook, dropped it in the water, let Ralph nibble on it and then hooked him. As charming as Ralph is, he was so outmatched it was hard to watch.

Russell suckered Ralph into bragging about the idol in front of the Ometepe tribe. They now know he has it and if a merge comes, and Ralph still has the idol, it may cause him more problems than it will help solve.

In that moment, Russell flipped the game once again and he did it after hed already been knocked out of the game. Thats why hes played three times and despite his claims that hes finished thats why hell probably end up playing yet again.

Thanks for the memories, RH.

I hope you will all leave your thoughts about Russell departure on the comment section. Love him or hate him, if youre a fan you have to have an opinion.

That’s why he’s played three times and… despite his claims that he’s finished… that’s why he’ll probably end up playing yet again.

Logged

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

You would think the only reason CBS would renew the show for two more seasons was because they vowed never to bring Rob or Russell back!

Fixed.

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"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

First off… thanks to everyone who joined in on the “live tweets” on both coasts. What a blast. Let’s do it again next week. If you aren’t on twitter, sign up and follow me @Jeffprobst. We tweet live together in a “virtual living room.” Okay now to the blog…

LIFE AFTER RUSSELL

Well, I’ll admit that there is a hole now that Russell is gone. It’s kinda like having a really funny friend leave your big summer party a few hours too early. You miss him. The party misses him. It takes a moment to adjust.

But… if it’s a good party, you won’t miss him for long.

CAN ANYONE STOP MATT?

Thus far Redemption Island has given us everything we could have hoped for when we started the season. Dramatic duels, lots of surprising and game turning information revealed, and a hero emerging in faith-based Matt.

How do we keep getting so lucky? Of all the people that could have been our first Redemption Island representative we couldn’t have hand picked a better one than Matt. He’s humble, he’s competitive, he’s kind, he has a strong moral compass, he’s handsome and as of yet, he can’t be beat.

Thank you Matt for doing us right! The question is how long can he continue to dominate? How long before the person on Redemption gets to come back into the game and continue their pursuit of the million dollars?

ROB CONTINUES TO DOMINATE AT OMETEPE

From a macro view, Ometepe is in very good shape. Since winning the challenge that Zapatera threw, their confidence is up and it shows.

But no matter how good you have it, as Americans know far too well, there is always something to complain about. For Ometepe, it’s Phillip.

WHY PHILLIP IS A STAR

Ometepe’s complaints about Phillip are a great example of why Phillip is both a pain in the ass (if you’re an Ometepe member) and a “star” (if you’re CBS).

They walk around camp muttering things you are probably saying yourself as you watch from home:

This Phillip guy is nuts!

Former Federal Agent, my ass!

Dude, what is up with that salmon colored underwear?

For crying out loud, would ya quit chasing the crabs with a stick!

A lion and a Gorilla? Come on.

Phillip…. please shut up!!!!!

Just like with Russell or Coach, the louder you scream the more we know we have a star. Phillip is a star.

And while the others are complaining that Phillip should be voted out, Rob is working hard to make sure Phillip doesn’t go home. He realizes what the others don’t – Phillip is worth more to him in the game than he is being sent to Redemption Island. For now anyway…

FISHING AT ZAPATERA

I love seeing the tribes catch fish and do other domestic chores around camp. I wish we could more of these types of scenes in the show, but we just don’t have enough time. Whenever we show the Survivors truly earning their keep, it reminds the audience that this is a major adventure. It is no joke. There are no commercial breaks where you can grab another slice of pizza from the fridge. These guys earn every single thing they get on this show. I always respect the people who choose to partake of the Survivor adventure because there is nothing else like it on television.

KRISTA & STEPHANIE GO TO REDEMPTION ISLAND

Julie really showed how little she understands the game when she said that “Krista and Stephanie” are just pawns in this game and are not a threat any longer. Anybody that is in the game is a threat and anybody who is low on the totem pole within a tribe is a MAJOR threat What if we have a tribe switch coming up? Or an early merge?

I’m not foreshadowing anything (or am I?) but I am making the point that you can NEVER let your guard down in this game. The moment you lay your sword against the tree while you go take a leak, is the moment your sword ends up in your back mid-stream.

An experienced player would view Krista and Stephanie as potential problems and that person… would be right.

WHAT YOU DIDN’T SEE DURING THE DUEL

What you didn’t see was that Kristina nearly passed out during the challenge. Literally. It was so hot, she was so tired, the puzzles pieces were so heavy and the pressure was so much… that she nearly fell flat out.

It was also a much longer challenge. The puzzle was created by resident Survivor genius, Dan Munday and it proved much more difficult than it appears when finished. Both Matt and Kristina had trouble with the puzzle – the difference was Matt never lost his mind or got frustrated. He just kept studying it until it finally became clear.

Finally, there was also a much longer discussion between Boston Rob and Matt where Matt quizzed Rob about why he voted him out. Redemption Island continues to deliver.

I THINK YELLOW MIGHT LOOK GOOD ON ME

This is what I’m talking about. When Stephanie told Boston Rob that she and Krista were no longer loyal to Zapatera, she gave away so much information that Rob and Ometepe can now use.

He now knows there are two people on the outs, which tells him that the tribe has drawn lines in the sand. He now knows there are two people that might come to the other side if a switch or a merge happens. Those two pieces of information alone can swing the game completely in his favor. Krista and Stephanie are not just pawns, they are still players in this game.

REWARD/IMMUNITY CHALLENGE

I loved this challenge. It was very exciting on the day. I like challenges that put someone in the “hero” or “goat” role, it almost always produces good drama.

Chaotic challenges always reveal so much and reminds how important it is to remain calm. Panic never helps. Ah but it’s so easy to say “don’t panic” yet much tougher to actually remain… calm.

Grant is the unsung hero for Ometepe. He’s a talented athlete and if they let him last deep into this game he is going to move from the “quiet dude with dreadlocks” to a major threat to win the game.

I gotta give Stephanie credit. The girl does not shy away from asking for responsibility. Say what you want but Stephanie has never backed off of a challenge. She wants the ball and when there is no time left on the clock, she’s the one who wants to take the shot. When your ass is on the line, it’s the only play you have.

I GOTTA SAY IT

Zapatera has a bit of a bitchy attitude toward most everything. First it was Russell being a bad seed and in last night’s episode it was Stephanie not being smart enough at the challenge. Does it all go back to throwing the challenge to get rid of Russell? Have they simply given Ometepe too much confidence?

And most amazing of all is that after losing another challenge, they still managed to find a bright side, however misguided it may be:

Julie: Even though we lost the challenge today, we really won. It’s going to be between Krista and Stephanie.

Don’t you guys watch this show? What are you thinking? This is not good news. You didn’t really win by losing. Losing another member of your tribe at this point in the game does not make your tribe stronger. There are so many cons that come with losing a tribe member, not the least of which is the more Ometepe wins, the more unified they become. This is a potentially disastrous situation come the merge.

Someone has to step up and gather the troops or Zapatera is going to continue to fall apart day by day.

I loved Sarita and David getting into it, can’t resist a juicy throwdown. Sarita hit David’s sweet spot and he lit her up:

David: I do very well under pressure! My entire life is based on being under pressure!! There’s no butts, I’m the only one who is doing puzzles from here on out!!! Period!!! Point blank. No questions.

And then Mike says without a hint of irony –

Mike: We just need to win a challenge.

LET’S FAKE THEM WHILE I FAKE YOU!

When I saw the first early cut of this moment I was laughing so hard I couldn’t stay in my chair. Rob often approaches Survivor like an organized game theory expert and other times he plays it like a 5-year old. This was old school playground shenanigans. Grant covering for Rob while Rob is double-crossing Grant. Wouldn’t surprise me if Rob had his fingers crossed the entire time.

Rob is so in control I think he even yelled to our camera operator, “We gotta move” as if to say — if you want to get the shot of me trading out the idol notes, then you better start running, because I have no time to waste!

IT WAS CLEAR…KRISTA OR STEPHANIE

There wasn’t much else to the story –you knew it was going to be Krista or Steph and truthfully all we could hope for is that Stephanie stayed longer than Krista, only because she is significantly lippier and therefore a more interesting character.

Krista is gone but not out. Krista is a farm girl and is a legitimate threat to beat Matt in a challenge. This may be Matt’s biggest competition to date.

The “Previously On” is always edited by Eric Gardner and it’s interesting to me how much they have evolved over the many years. I sometimes battle with him over these becoming too soap operaish, but I am so happy with his great storytelling. These two minute stories always remind the audience of everything they need to know before the start of a new episode. It truly is an art in and of itself.

REDEMPTION ISLAND

RI is starting to feel like Matt’s house. He now has a big home court advantage because he is so comfortable on the island and at the Arena. It’s like a sports team that has been to the finals taking on a team that has not been to the finals. The experience is often the difference.

RELIGION ON REDEMPTION

The religious aspect of Redemption Island is not something we ever anticipated when we called it Redemption Island. Having a religious and very likable person like Matt last this long in the first season of RI was a fascinating development. It brings an entirely new texture to the island and one that has a lot of people in the church community talking.

BIBLE

The Bible was Krista’s choice for her luxury item. We gave them their luxury items when they arrived at Redemption Island because we knew they would be lonely and might need a pick me up. We did not plan it or decide on it because we thought it would give us extra story from Krista and Matt. It was already laid out.

I respect people who have faith in whatever brings them comfort and security.

When Krista gave her bible to Matt I was moved. It had nothing to do with my thoughts about the Bible. It was the human kindness shown in a game that rarely sees the good side of people. Despite losing and being out of the game for good, Krista still had the presence of heart to think about helping out Matt.

ANDREA GETS JEALOUS?

Man this game is tough. Matt is alone on Redemption, battling as hard as he can to stay alive. A competitor gives him a Bible on her way out and as a result, his one ally in the game, gets jealous and turns on him. WTF? Were they going steady? Did I miss the engagement? It was a Bible, not a love note. Man. Survivor is a tough game.

IN DEFENSE OF THE SPA DAY

Spa days and other seemingly mindless, wastes of time that seem to consume the girls days of late…aren’t as outrageous as they seem. The contestants do have a lot of free time on their hands. On days when there is not a challenge or tribal and their shelter is built they really have very little to do. However reasonable it may be, it doesn’t change the perception of others when they see you lying around.

PHILLIP WANTS TO BE APPRECIATED

Ah yeah, baby. The ego of the lion and the gorilla is coming out and I like it. Phillip’s explosion was not about the girls not helping with the fire. His frustration came from not being appreciated. That’s all he wants, is a little credit.

One of the lessons I’ve learned from Survivor goes like this:

If you have a goal, and your success in achieving this goal requires the support of other people, then you have to remove your ego from the equation.

In other words, when you’re playing a zero sum game, ie a game in which there is only one winner – and the losers of the game are the one who will decide who wins – leave your ego at home.

Otherwise your chances for success plummet.

I’m not saying it’s easy. Not saying I can do it myself. But from a back seat point of view it’s quite clear.

Phillip wants credit. Nobody is giving it to him. The more he complains the more annoying he will become… because Phillip – nobody cares.

Stoke the fire and stay out of the way. You’ll last longer.

THE GODFATHER INTERVENES

Once again the wisest person on the tribe is Rob. I know you hate me talking about Rob, but the proof is in his actions regarding Phillips and the fire tending duties.

Four of them to be exact:

1. During the argument he was the only one still focused on the big picture. His biggest overall goal was to keep the tribe strong.

2. Simultaneously, he understands how beneficial the fight between Phillip and the girls can be to his game. The more they fight, the more likely he is to stay in control and the more they hate each other the better for him if he makes it to the end against any of them.

3. Rob then talked to Phillip to ensure that Phillip doesn’t do too much damage to the tribe dynamics while also letting Phillip know that he understands him.

4. After Phillip walked away, Rob then mocked him which in turn endeared Rob even more to the angry girls.

Mission complete. It was deft handling of a very delicate social situation.

THE DUEL

Krista was no joke. Growing up on a farm she knew her way around the rope. Three tosses, three connects. It was amazing. I really thought Matt was going to lose. Krista gave Matt his biggest challenge so far.

PRE-CHALLENGE

One of my favorite exchanges of the season thus far was between Phillip and Steve when discussing the Gorilla and Lion tattoos. I really appreciate Phillips simultaneous earnestness and sense of humor. Is that even a proper sentence? What I mean is that he really believes everything he says and yet he has enough awareness to know that I’m poking fun at him for those same things he takes so seriously. Hmm, was that sentence any better than the first one?

Philip gets it. How bout that? He gets me anyway. Moving on.

THE CHALLENGE

We’ve done this challenge many times over the years and it never fails to deliver.

This challenge is both physical and frustrating. Ralph for one was clearly irritated that he wasn’t getting enough action. But the star of the challenge was Grant. Stud. Dude is the real deal. Mike did his best to defend but there was no stopping him, not even by ripping off his shirt. If Grant is allowed to stay till the end he could be a millionaire come mid-May.

HIDDEN IDOL CLUE

I’m a broken record but Rob played this moment very well. So far this season he has done a good job of assessing, adapting and then executing very well. Letting Grant find the clue to the hidden idol was a great call as it further solidified Grant’s trust in Rob.

Getting caught with the note however, was a rookie mistake:

Phillip: Whatcha got there boys? I saw it.

Phillip: What’s it say?

Rob: Back at camp?

Phillip: What?

Rob: Back at Camp.

Phillip: (interview) I have been in an alliance with Rob, Grant and myself. In fact, I call ourselves Stealth Are Us. I’m… the specialist… Rob is the mentalist…and Grant… is the assassin.

Phillip: Remember boys. Stealth.

Phillip: (interview) And yet today when Rob and Grant found the clue for an idol they tried to hide it. Well,

Hell hath no fury like a… lion and a gorilla when he thinks he has been provoked.

Music transition. Patriotic. Strong. Preparing for battle.

Phillip: (interview) If you’re gonna make an alliance with me you better adhere to it because I am all about integrity. I served my country for four years, eleven months and thirteen days for duty, honor, country. That means something to me.

When you try to trash on that… me and the United States got something for you when you try that little baby…

I could dwell in the place of negativity right now based on what I just saw, but I’m not gonna do that.

I’m gonna smile and when the time comes…. I’m gonna kick a little ass around here.

Let it breathe. Gonna just let that little piece of poetry sit there. No comment needed.

But I can’t resist. F*&king genius. Phillip please grab Coach and come back and play again as soon as possible.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

I think a lot of you are glad to see Stephanie out of the game. I’m not sure what it is about me that likes the spunky, lippy folks but I am bummed she is gone. She’s definitely a competitor and she’s a great interview.

I’ve said it before but I think Zapatera’s biggest problem is they are playing a “too cool for school” game and it’s biting them in the ass.

It’s the Russell factor. They are so happy to “defeat” Russell and his two “girls” – Krista and Stephanie – that they’re in danger of losing the big picture.

David realized that tonight. I agree with David. I would have voted out Sarita. Nothing personal, Sarita, but I think Stephanie wanted it more and the tribe could have used her spunk.

Okay I know I’ve been ignoring everybody else in the game… so here we go.

DAVID – If memory serves I think David scored the highest on our IQ test during casting. He is a smart dude. We fought to get him on and I’m glad we did. He’s giving us great story and he’s a legit threat to win the game if he can get his alliance figured out.

STEVE – I like him. He’s laid back and probably a pretty nice guy in his normal life. He would drive me a bit crazy as a member of my alliance because he is so laid back! I want the guy who played in the NFL for 13 years. Maybe he’s saving that for the individual portion of the show.

SARITA – I think she’s too soft right now. I liked her in casting but I think the game is overwhelming her right now. She needs to get over the toothache and find that inner strength otherwise she is going to be seen as a pain-in-the-ass.

MIKE – How can you not like Mike? He’s strong, seems pretty bright. A major threat to win this game. If both are still in the game when they merge – he could prove a worthy adversary for Boston Rob.

MATT – The undisputed underdog. If he can win long enough to get back in the game, people better watch out. I have a feeling that even his faith will not be able to contain his desire to get even.

NATALIE – I’ve said it before I am so impressed. She is 18 years old. Think about the 18 year olds you know. How many of them could handle themselves this well in this cut-throat environment. Natalie is a long shot to win but IF she can get to the end the jury may feel like I do that based on age alone she has earned the money.

JULIE – Julie confuses me. I like her and I think she’s a fairly good player but I haven’t seen any moves yet that make me think she could make it deep. She’s a mom which helps in dealing with people and she’s very reasonable and that could take her a long way into the game. But a big move will be necessary.

RALPH – I love Ralph because he’s so fun to listen to and so fun to watch. He so very smart in his own way but his liability is that Ralph hasn’t found himself in this kind of social situation and it shows. If Ralph can figure out how to deal with the others in his alliance he could last.

ANDREA – She’s a bit wishy-washy regarding Matt but she is definitely a fighter and a player. She will not lie down for anybody. I like her but her problem right now is her status within the alliance.

ASHLEY – Dark horse to win the game. She’s very good in the challenges and come the individual portion of the game she will be a threat. She also has friends in the girls and will probably make more friends if she makes the merge. If I was Rob I’d be most worried about her in the end game.

GRANT – Grant is a bit ill equipped socially because he is so trusting. At this point he believes in Rob 100%. So long as that lasts, these two could go deep. But if that trust is ever broken, my hunch is that Grant will turn on Rob and vote him out.

NEXT TIME ON.. Survivor.

One of the greatest challenges of the season… and one of the funniest moments in our history.

TWO LAST THINGS:

1. If you haven’t been tweeting LIVE with me during the episodes, you’re missing out. Get yourself a Twitter account and start following me @JeffProbst. I tweet during the east coast and west coast feeds of each episode. We’re creating a “virtual living room” and it’s pretty amazing.

2. If you were diggin on Phillip this week, check out Grant’s un-aired interview about Phillip’s explosion and Natalie’s interview about Phillip being bi-polar in this week’s Secret Scenes.”

Thanks again to everybody that tweeted with me last night. If you’re still not on board, you should join us on Twitter at @JeffProbst. We’re having a fun conversation in ” the interactive living room” and a great shared experience.

Okay onto last night’s episode…

DAVID

I like David. He’s the kind of player I’d like to have on the show every season. He’s playing a long-term game and he’s willing to make big moves. He came to win, not make the jury.

I don’t have much time for people who are satisfied with making the jury. I’m not convinced Sarita wants to make it to the end. So far I haven’t seen the killer instinct. Maybe it will come out next week on Redemption Island. I had huge expectations for Sarita. I loved her in casting, but I really believe the game was much more than she anticipated and ultimately just too difficult. Now she faces an interesting dilemma. Does she give it her all and try to beat Matt or just throw in the towel and call it a day?

DUEL

What’s to say? Matt is unstoppable. Five straight duels without a loss. Our duels are scheduled long before we know who will be competing so whether it’s physical, mental or both, it has nothing to do with who is at Redemption Island. It’s just luck of the draw.

HOT DAYS

Watching this episode reminded me how damn hot it gets while shooting Survivor. Redemption Island was especially hot because there was absolutely no breeze. I always seem to sweat more than the Survivors and that’s annoying. I guess they acclimate since they are living in it, and maybe because they’re dehydrated most days, but I always notice when I’m the one dripping from the forehead and they’re not.

ROB

I continue to be impressed by Rob’s game play. Granted it’s his fourth time so he should have something figured out, but seven episodes in I think he has played as close to a perfect game as anyone ever has in our 22 season history.

He hasn’t missed a single opportunity to gain favor or advantage. He is squeezing every bit of juice out of every opportunity.

I’m going to take a moment for all the “Probst loves Rob” haters to scream at me… go ahead. Let it out. Let it breathe…

I like Rob. Always have. Going all the way back to Survivor: Marquesas when he told me after he was voted out, “Give me another shot. I’m not finished.” I liked him in All-Stars when he took advantage of Lex to keep Amber in the game and then asked Amber to marry him just before the reading of the votes, thus ensuring the million dollars would be his no matter what. I liked him in Heroes v Villains when he miraculously changed his stripes and went from the dark side to the light. Still not sure how that happened.

And yes… I still like him today.

ZAPATERA

While we’re shooting the show, I’m unaware of most of what goes on out on the beaches. I don’t know the nitty-gritty and truth be told I really don’t know all that much about how the individual players are playing the game. But when I get home and start watching the episodes, I’m no different than you guys – I find myself rooting for and against different players and different tribes. Right now, Zapatera is driving me nuts with their infighting and complaining. I know it must be frustrating to read this if you’re a Zapatera member but it’s really how I feel. I can’t take much more of their whiny-ass complaining.

I want someone to stand up and take control of the tribe and start leading them. Specifically…David. That’s who would get my vote for leader and the reason is I think he’s the only guy capable right now of making bold moves to get his tribe back on track. Ralph makes fun of him for being an attorney. The truth is, the guy is the only one right now who is looking at the “big picture” and is trying to right a quickly sinking ship.

Zapatera is a great example of the psychological phenomenon “groupthink.” In Zapatera, you have a group of people who are making decisions that match the group consensus but without ever truly evaluating the worth or long term effect of their decisions. They so desperately don’t want conflict that they get rid of anybody who doesn’t peacefully agree with the group. It’s not working. You have to have the balls to stand up and tell the Emperor that he’s naked! Zapatera is naked!

I think they made a great move in voting out Sarita and that may just be the first move in the right direction.

A FEW SPOONFULS OF RICE A DAY

The scene in which they debated about saving Rob some crispy rice was funny and caused great drama surrounding Phillip who was clearly picking a fight because once again he WANTED TO BE HEARD!

Beyond that though, it was a great visual reminder of how little they are living on every day. They are given a tin of rice on day one and told to ration it so it will last the entire time. They know from past seasons that if you run out, it will cost you something valuable to get more rice. So that is why they eat only a few spoonfuls each day.

ROB v PHILLIP

I love this ongoing love/hate, mentor/student relationship between Rob and Phillip because it highlights the truth about how we treat each other in our society. Age doesn’t mean a damn thing. Nobody respects you simply because you’re an elder. Should we respect our elders? Hell yes! Do we? Hell no.

We respect you if you’re powerful or rich or famous or hot or really good at sports, but age? Ha! You’re just an old dude whose ass I can kick, so get the F out of my way before I run you over with my Prius.

There is a guy at my gym, Abraham. He’s a very nice guy who fancies himself a comedian and as a result he is constantly spouting one-liners. All day, long. He’s a bit of a wordsmith, I’ll give him that. He has a turn of the phrase or a corny joke for every moment.

The truth is if he was a twenty-something I’d probably give him some attitude and tell him “not everything is an anecdote.” But Abraham, is in his 80’s and because of that, I have a different attitude about the whole thing. I listen and I laugh and I always appreciate that this man has lived a lot longer than me and if he wants to tell a few jokes we should all be happy that he’s still sharp enough to pull it off and support him.

But Survivor doesn’t care. Outwit, Outplay, Outlast. Being older on Survivor is rarely a plus but instead just a great reason to get rid of you. Is it fair? Doesn’t matter? Would I feel the same way if I was in the game and had some “old dude” slowing my tribe down? Probably. Then again, I’D be the old dude. Maybe that’s the real truth. I’m just channeling my own frustration that on Survivor, I’D BE THE OLD DUDE!

Survivor blogs. Humbling and cheaper than therapy.

CHALLENGE

This was without question one of the greatest challenges in recent Survivor history. We had all the elements. Great stakes – a helicopter ride and afternoon picnic. Great weather – pouring rain and deep mud. Great competition – it was back and forth until the last shot!

A massive effort by both groups. This challenge was no joke. Busting through the hay, crawling through the mud, climbing through the sticks, over the net craw and finally through an amazing “brick” wall. It was awesome.

INSIGHT

The brick wall was made out of wood and each brick was hand placed by our art department. It took hours to get the walls just right. We had to think long and hard before deciding to rehearse this challenge because of the amount of work required to set it up. I could see our art department team watching the rehearsal with equal amounts of excitement at watching their challenge play out and dread knowing they’d have to replace every.. single.. brick…brick-by-brick on the wall.

I loved this challenge. Look for it again next year.

When I see them at the end of a challenge like that, there is no question in my mind as to why so many of you want to play this game. It really is the ultimate adventure. A chance to test yourself on every single level.

REWARD

Another great moment in this episode. A helicopter ride is still a special treat for most people as it’s not something many of us ever get the chance to do. When you add in that you’re flying over and then landing on an active volcano it makes it all the more special.

This reminded me of the old days when we had enough time in our show to have some amazing rewards. Strategy has taken over the game and so now our time is limited and that’s why you see fewer epic rewards.

ROB OFFERS A CLUE TO THE GODS

Rob tossing the clue for the idol into the active volcano was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. All credit goes to Rob for that one. He could have just tossed it before getting back on the helicopter, but instead he saw the opportunity — ah forget it. Just refer back to my earlier comments about Rob.

SARITA HAD TO GO

Sarita, I know I have to see you at the live show so I hope you won’t be frustrated but this was the right move. Your heart wasn’t in it.

Unfortunately for Sarita, she doesn’t get to go home. Instead, it gets worse. She has to go to Redemption Island where the worst thing that could happen is that she beats Matt and has to stay in the game even longer.

Once again I enjoyed our “interactive living room” on Twitter. We’ve been tweeting live each week at 8pm EST/PST. You can catch the tweets @JeffProbst.

THE DUEL

I am guessing that almost everybody, short of Sarita’s family, was pulling for Matt to win the last duel before the merge. It has nothing to do with Sarita and everything to do with pulling for the underdog. Matt earned his shot back in the game.

I’m surprised that some of you are not enjoying Redemption Island. I certainly get a lot of comments from people who are enjoying it but I do get some from people who think it’s a bore.

I’m shocked that anybody could be bored with the Matt/Redemption Island storyline. But hey, I get it, everybody has their likes/dislikes.

As I’ve said many times the duels are put on the grid and built long before we know who will be competing. So imagine Matt’s surprise when the one challenge he didn’t want – a challenge that involved using the side of his now injured food – was the exact duel that was on the grid. Crazy Survivor luck.

Had he lost, it would have sucked to lose due to an injury but it would have been completely fair.

Truth is, I thought he was in real danger of losing. These challenges so often favor women and with his cut foot I thought he might be in trouble.

THE MERGE

Ah there is so much fun about the merge.

From a show point of view it’s a breath of fresh air as it almost always shakes things up. Solid alliances are now in danger. People on the bottom now have a new shot at moving up.

The Survivors get a merge feast, which always lifts their spirits and anytime you can lift their spirits it’s a good thing. That might sound counter to what you would think we want to have happen, but the truth is there is so much drama on a day-to-day basis, that a bit of happiness is always good. Balances things out.

They get new buffs, which invigorates them and often seems to refuel them.

I’m laughing because I’m imagining the reaction of the rest of the tribe when they heard this for the first time last night while watching the show. It’s so 5th grade and it has absolutely no impact on the show, but it’s still funny. I’m sure Rob and Amber were cracking up last night every time “Murlonio” popped up on the screen. I’ll ask Rob to bring the stuffed animal to the live show.

THE BALANCING CHALLENGE

As simple as this challenge is to recreate it’s still the same creative process as you have with an elaborate maze. You have an idea – let’s do something where they balance a ball on a plate. Then you play around with the idea and decide it’s too easy, we need to add a “wobble” element to it. But it’s still not hard enough, so we add another ball, and then another. Now we’re getting somewhere.

Most of our challenges first take shape months before we go to location. Our challenge team pitches us their slate of new challenges. In fact we’re doing this in two weeks here in LA in preparation for next year. The pitch is nothing more than ideas and sketches. After the pitch, some are approved, some are modified and some are sent back for re-tooling.

Once they’re approved they have to be built. This process can take between one to six weeks depending on the scope and size.

Once built they are then tested. During a test there are no cameras. Just our director, our dream team, our challenge producers and me.

Once we’re satisfied with the test block we move to a rehearsal. This requires our entire camera/audio operators, our director, challenge producers, dream team and all the support people.

We rehearse the challenge and give our final notes. Then the challenge is ready for the Survivors.

We do this whether it is a three person final episode endurance challenge or a two-tribe, 20 person boat race. We always follow the same process.

THE BIGGEST BLINSIDE OF THE SEASON

The second blindside of Matt was a great move by Rob and not a surprising one. Rob blindsided Matt the first time around so Rob had to believe he was a target. I’m not sure Matt had any real shot at surviving but he sealed his fate when he told Rob the truth that he considered switching to the other side. He just gave up way too many details. It’s like telling your girlfriend, “I was thinking about breaking up with you, but I decided not to.” What? You don’t tell them that. You either do it or you don’t — but sharing e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g is not always the right choice.

It makes sense that Matt was honest. It’s in his nature. But like the tale of the frog and the scorpion, nature can work for you and against you. This time the “nature” of Rob worked against Matt.

Mike gave it a great shot. He said all the right things. Offering to sabotage his own alliance and join forces with Matt in order to further his own game. He made the only real move he had at that point and it’s exactly what I would have done. It was a big move. Just because it didn’t work doesn’t mean it wasn’t a smart move.

The big question I have with Matt centers around how this impacts Matt’s faith in people.

Blindsided two times by people you trust… I wonder if it has changed Matt’s view of his fellow man or is Matt wise enough to realize that Survivor is just a game. It’s an ugly game at times but it’s just a game.

REDEMPTION ISLAND BEGINS AGAIN

Yes this was in the plan from the beginning. Redemption Island was going to resume immediately after the merge. In fact, when we pitched CBS one of the scenarios we gave them was the person on Redemption Island could earn their way back into the game and then be voted right out again. But nobody imagined that one guy would win six straight duels get back into the game at the merge and be the first person voted out again.

If there is a silver lining for Matt, it is the fact that if he can survive Redemption Island again and make it back to the final, his odds for winning are huge. At this point he is one of the biggest underdogs in Survivor history.

Thanks once again to everybody who joined us for the “interactive living room” twitter session last night! It was our biggest yet!

Okay, onto the blog!

Today’s blog will be stream of consciousness, with no proof reading, so bear with me..

MATT

Was he a moron? What would you have done? I felt like he was in a really tough spot. Going against your old alliance and joining the other side is a risky move. Obviously, staying with someone as dangerous as Rob is also a major risk. I think the only mistake he made was sharing his inner monologue with Rob. That’s the lesson I learned – when playing a game like Survivor, you don’t have to be so honest, God will understand.

But I must say, his faith in his God is pretty impressive and inspiring. Love the absolute commitment.

JULIE

Julie complained about how unfair it was for Ometepe to vote out Matt again so soon after coming back into the game. I do not believe Julie would have taken mercy on Matt if she were in the same situation. Not one bit. She didn’t hesitate to get rid of Russell. She would have done the same with Matt and it would have been okay, it’s part of the game.

NATALIE

When Ralph was trying to forge his way in with Ashley and Natalie, he was trying so hard to get something going. The only thing Natalie could safely offer, without risking saying anything wrong, was:

Natalie: It’s a hard game.

Damn! The insincerity of that lame ass line would have prompted a major response from me. There is no chance I could have contained myself at that point in the game.

“It’s a hard game.” Screw off.

ZAPATERAThey’re doing everything they can to try and find a way into the tight Ometepe group. That’s what you have to do in this spot. You have no other option. You have to stir things up, try to get someone riled, try to start an argument, anything at all.

Sitting back and saying, “I understand” is bullshit. It gets you nowhere.

The only problem facing Zapatera is Boston Rob. Without Rob, Ometepe would have no clue what to do. That’s clear by the way Rob is able to keep them in line.

BOSTON ROB

For all the concern we had that both Rob and Russell would be voted out early – Rob has done an amazing job of not only staying in the game but staying in control. There are a few key factors to his success:

a. He has an incredible knowledge of the game and the key elements required to control your fate.

b. He’s a naturally gifted strategist. His “us” vs “them” while keeping himself clean is so brilliantly executed.

c. The luck of drawing the Ometepe buff. Rob would not have been as successful on Zapatera. He is relying on the naïve nature of his tribe. Everybody on Ometepe will take offense with me saying this, but without Natalie and Phillip, Rob is dead because Ralph, Julie, David and Steve would not have responded the same way.

NATALIE GETS MADE

The scene between Rob and Natalie where she reports on the actions of Ashley was straight out of the Godfather. Natalie just became “made.” That is what they call it when you earn your mafia stripes, right? Natalie just made a HUGE move. She locked in her alliance with Rob when she could have made a move and gotten him out of the game. From this point forward Natalie’s fate is linked to Rob.

THE CHALLENGE

Phillips story about his meditation with his great, great, great, great, Grandfather was 100% legit. Even the 99th mispronunciation of his own tripe, “Ometepe” was legit. There is nothing about Phillip that is a put on, at least as far as I can tell.

As for whether or not he was actually a former federal agent, I will get to the bottom of that during the live reunion show Sunday, May 15th. Mark it down.

I loved this challenge. I love individual challenges later in the game because there are always people fighting to stay in the game. I also love it when people let go of their humility and get in the mud.

Day to day motivation is a big factor in this game:

Grant & Rob wanted it from the word go but for different reasons:

Rob wanted to protect himself and remain in control because he understands you are NEVER safe unless you have immunity. Even with a hidden idol, if you don’t play it you can get blindsided.

Grant wanted it for his tribe because he is playing the “team game.”

The three Zapatera all wanted it because they needed it.

Ashley, Andrea, Natalie & Phillip – they didn’t fight because they aren’t worried and for now they don’t have to be.

TRIBAL #1

When the low man on the other tribes totem pole tells you that he enjoys being the low man, you know you are in trouble.

Phillip embodies the loyal soldier. At this point I truly believe Phillip would fall on a sword for his tribe because in his mind he is part of an important group. What he doesn’t understand is he is being played by one of the best and the only way this ends well is if Rob gets blindsided and Phillip ends up in a final with himself.

MIKE AT REDEMPTION ISLAND

Mike will be tough. Mike could be on Redemption for a while. He is an amazing competitor and from what I can tell an audience favorite.

CHALLENGE #2

I love these challenges as well! Love when we give them the chance to sit out and eat rather than compete for immunity.

I’m always amazed at who chooses to eat and why. You are so close to $1million dollar pirze. I would never give up a shot at immunity for a burger. But I think it makes perfect sense that Steve and Phillip did.

Steve knew he wouldn’t win and Phillip believes he doesn’t have to win. Turns out both are right.

TRIBAL #2

Stealth-R-Us.

Phillip is pure gold. Straight out of the river bed.

If there has ever been a more fascinating Survivor contestant, please share.

David brought up a great notion – that at this point, the best move for a Zapatera may be Redemption Island where you can control your fate.

I don’t think we’ve even touched what RI will bring to this game. For those of you on the fence, give it a chance. Let’s see where it goes.

Next week.. one of the most “water cooler” worthy tribal councils in quite some time.

Im traveling to NY tonight for the live finale which airs this Sunday night on CBS, so this blog will be short and.. it will be a blog, not a vlog.

GRANTS GOODBYESee ya soon.

It wasnt his words, it was the subtext behind them. Grant is a scorned lover. He trusted Rob. I believe he trusted him 100% and he got burned. Its another great example of why this game is so difficult to play: Outwit, Outlast, Outplay. Everybody knows its a game, but where the game begins and ends is a personal decision and often where the game is won or lost.

Did Rob make a mistake in voting out Grant? Well find out at the live finale this Sunday, May 15th in New York because if Grant survives Redemption Island and gets back in the game, Rob is in trouble.

THE JURYOnce again, three people will make it to the final tribal council. After 39 days of incredible effort, their actions will be judged by a jury, which is comprised of people they have voted out of the game.

Will the jury be a bunch of bitter bitches intent on punishing the most deserving and rewarding the least offensive? It certainly wouldnt be the first time. Jury management- its the most critical element to this game. Not only do you have to get to the end, which almost always requires betraying someone (before they betray you) but then you have to convince those same people you betrayed to vote for you for the million dollars.

It hurts my head.

I hope the jury rewards the best player, were due for a decent winner. Heres my take on deserving/undeserving.

Boston Rob  Hands down the most deserving player if he can make it to the end. Big IF.

Matt  If Matt gets off Redemption Island and makes it to the end I think he has a good shot of winning simply based on the underdog vote. However, if I was in the final against Matt, Id make a strong case that while he may be the best dueler he is clearly the worst player and therefore not deserving of the money.

Mike  If Mike makes it to the end, he wins. Period. Doesnt matter who he is up against, the Zapatera jury will find their inner bitch and reward it to their former tribemate. Robs worst nightmare is Mike gets back in the game.

Grant  If Grant makes it, he could make a case for the money. If hes up against Natalie and Phillip he wins. Ashley or Rob will give him a run for his money and make for a very interesting final tribal council.

Ashley  If Ashley continues to win her way to the end, she will have a very strong case. I would definitely consider voting for her for the money, unless she was up against Rob.

Natalie  Cant win. If Natalie wins, then the jury should be taken to a small stream and dunked repeatedly until their bellies fill with guppies. I think Natalie did a good job and probably learned a lot about strategy from her mentor. But its not nearly enough.

Andrea  The dark horse. Although she didnt play the best game, she played a pretty decent game and I think she got better with each passing day. If Andrea can get to the end against Ashley and Natalie or Phillip she wins.

Phillip  If Phillip wins, it means that we will have witnessed one of the most amazing final episodes in the history of our show. The only way he wins is if he reveals that his former federal agent and everything that came with it was all a big con.

Okay Im gonna get some sleep  talk to you Sunday from the live finale. It starts at 8pm and lasts 3 hours. Dont be a fool and DVR it, watch it live.

Ill be tweeting during the finale and I promise to do my very best to not post any spoilers so you can watch along without having it ruined. But hear me.. no promises. So if youre at all concerned, then dont follow me Sunday night!

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan